A '54 named Busty

[Gregski]

thank you all for your support and encouragement, and can somebody tell me how I can take the front end apart clean it and paint it and put it back together perfect 17 times in a row without one scratch during moch up all by myself, but when it comes to final assembly, and I use caution, nothing fits, nothing aligns, and I end up scratching it all up to he11, how is that even possible ???

... I'll hold (ha ha)

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by Gregski

thank you all for your support and encouragement, and can somebody tell me how I can take the front end apart clean it and paint it and put it back together perfect 17 times in a row without one scratch during moch up all by myself, but when it comes to final assembly, and I use caution, nothing fits, nothing aligns, and I end up scratching it all up to he11, how is that even possible ???

... I'll hold (ha ha)

dude, it's the shop gnomes! cousin to the dryer toll stealing your socks, but these viscous little jack-wagons love moving parts/tools and can actually change the shape of steel if they "crop dust" your truck with their nasty gnome farts. sorry for your luck.

[8man]

I could tell you, but then....

[Gregski]

help a brother out will ya, I'm trying to do da math computations on going with smaller / narrower tires than my current 245/60-15 on the front to prevent the rubbage and I'm more confused than a one eyed mosquito at a mannequin factory

Size.........245/60-15.....235/60-15.....235/75-15.....235/70-15
Diameter....26.57.............26.1..............28.88...........27.95
Width..........9.65..............9.25..............9.25.............9.25

[6DoF]

yeah, i hate metric tire sizing ... why do they feel the need to involve math in the listing, just tell me the actual dia! is your confusion in the metric size conversion, or picking a new tire?

for anyone wondering: 245/60-15 calc's

section width:
245mm ... 1in=25.4mm ... 245/25.4=9.65"

tire dia:
the 60 is the ratio of sidewall to width, or 60% of it. so 245*0.6=147. but! there is a sidewall both above and below the wheel so ya gota x2 it. so 147*2=294 but this is still only the rubber part of the dia, still need to convert to inches so you can add the wheel to it. 294/25.4=11.57 ... 11.57+15=26.57"

245/60-15 = 26.6x9.7-15 (US labels would round this to a 27x10-15 cuz marketing)

as for selection of a new tire size, if you are only just rubbing at full lock, i'd make very small changes. 1/2" smaller dia and 1/4" narrower would most likely do a lot. also, if you dial into the actual tire specs to see the actual thread width, you might be able to find a tire with a narrower tread and the same section. meaning it's more rounded vs square'd. that alone might get ya there.

clear as mud? any chance i was able to give that mosquito another eye? no, forget that, kill all mosquito's!!

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

yeah, i hate metric tire sizing ... why do they feel the need to involve math in the listing, just tell me the actual dia! is your confusion in the metric size conversion, or picking a new tire?

LOL, thanks bud, I am European but have lived in the states for so long that I have converted to cubits, LOL

my issue, which I should have been clearererer on is that I don't know if I need to go narrower tire/rim or shorter or both as she rubs when I go over speed bumps in a straight line, the lock to lock turning does not seem to rub, strange I tell you

but I just love the friggen stance, she looks like she's ready to pounce (sorry there were shadows on the other side so only revealing one side)

[Gregski]

determined to find exactly where she's rubbin' before making final adjustments with the fire torch, we busted out with all the precision instruments in the form of scrap wood and blue painters tape

theorazing when we drive and she rubbs she would tare the tape off, in that spot, makes sense don't it, well she rubbed and she didn't tare any tape off (she's an enigma wrapped in a mystery I tell you what)

shown, she is a sittin' on 6.521" riser to be precise on the texter side only (driver wheel is on the floor) to exaggerate the articulation with her round things pointed directly forward and I can still shove my pretty clean hands (for once) under the fender at 12 o'clock and 1 o'clock which appear to be the closest spots

[Gregski]

the Science continued, as we tried everything short of the fundamental relation in Euclidean geometry, you know Pythagorean theorem [ummm] we turned the wheel to the right all the way!

and could still stick our huge man hands under there!

[Gregski]

well then...

no big deal, we just gotta make all right handed turns

[6DoF]

i'd agree, love the stance! i also love metric, just not tire size listing

well shoot ... maybe just consider it a "self clearance" issue and let it happen? eventually you'll find a spot that got polished.

when you hear the rub, is it a clicking like the tread is running past and edge or a smooth noise like the sidewall and fender are just brushing past each other? what size bump is required to generate the interference?

[6DoF]

so no tight turns at speed! but you did say it happens when going perfectly straight, no?

maybe you just need a stiffer shock to control over-compression?

[6DoF]

how is your bump steer? under a heavy bump are the tires steering closer even though you are straight?

[6DoF]

i'm not super familiar with the gen-1 front end ... can you pull that inner upper fender brace and go for a drive? after looking at your pics in the fender more, it's possible under a heavy bump that's what you are rubbing.

[6DoF]

what's your upper control arm angle at ride height?

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

what's your upper control arm angle at ride height?

i have too much negative camber at the moment which when corrected will make matters worse I'm sure

I am thinking of mounting a video camera under there and going speed bump jumping again

those speed bumps are fairly mild and 6" tall maybe

the noise is pretty harsh pretty agressive like, and not a smooth rub nor a high pitched one

thank you for trying to help

[layinrocker65]

love the stance but it looks like new wheels are in your future....

[Gregski]

Originally Posted by layinrocker65

love the stance but it looks like new wheels are in your future....

Noooooo, I just bought these American Racing Baja rims and I never buy new wheels, and I just looked and I already have the smallerest they make AR1725761B which is a 15x7 they don't offer a narrower rim, darn it, and they all have basically 3 3/4 back spacing

https://www.americanracing.com/produ...sh=satin-black

so here's what I'm a thinkin' first inflate them to 35 PSI each cause they seem a bit on the flat side, and then consider a narrower Cooper Cobra Radial GT tire than the 245/60R15 which essentially is a 26.5" x 9.5" tire so something like a 215/65R15 which is a half inch shorter and 1 inch narrower tire at 26" x 8.5" might could work

https://us.coopertire.com/tires/cobra-radial-g-t

[layinrocker65]

Originally Posted by Gregski

Noooooo, I just bought these American Racing Baja rims and I never buy new wheels, and I just looked and I already have the smallerest they make AR1725761B which is a 15x7 they don't offer a narrower rim, darn it, and they all have basically 3 3/4 back spacing

https://www.americanracing.com/produ...sh=satin-black

so here's what I'm a thinkin' first inflate them to 35 PSI each cause they seem a bit on the flat side, and then consider a narrower Cooper Cobra Radial GT tire than the 245/60R15 which essentially is a 26.5" x 9.5" tire so something like a 215/65R15 which is a half inch shorter and 1 inch narrower tire at 26" x 8.5" might could work

https://us.coopertire.com/tires/cobra-radial-g-t

It looks like your wheels get pushed out so far because of your backspacing, even a narrower and shorter tire might not solve the issue. A huge amount of your tire is out of the fender when your turning and that’s not even with the suspension compressed.

[Gregski]

so tried the button head bolts, and no dice still rubs and yes in this very area on the inside of the fender

[Gregski]

tried these coil spring fandenglers, two per side, no dice still rubs, but only once whilst going over a speed bump and not twice like before

[Gregski]

alright so I ordered the 215/65R15 tires we'll see what happens with them on, I don't want to start cutting things until we throw some money at the problem

I also did my Homework and found out I bought the Heavy Duty MOOG springs for the 1978-79 5.7L Camaro with AC (aka heavier) part number 586, so I think I'm good there

https://www.moog-suspension-parts.co...aro-67-02-moog

https://www.shockwarehouse.com/site/...e-Coil-Springs

[Gregski]

I took a look at the steering next, since I could turn left on a dime put had to go around Alaska to turn right

as it turns out I could turn the steering wheel 1 full turn plus 3/8ths of a turn one way but not even one full turn the other way

and even so it seems like I got one of them speed steering boxes on my rig

so I tried to make some adjustment and took off the Pitman Arm and I'm glad I did and I'm double glad that I cleaned her up sum

not talking smack just stating facts, this here is the work of the previous owner

this appears to be the part number for a manual steering box pitman arm, yet it is mounted on a power steering one ?! hence the "alteration" I assume

[Gregski]

with the steering wheel centerized at 1 and 3/8ths of a turn either way I had to toe in the driver side wheel beyond what the tie rod end allowed, I actually backed it off some here to show you in this pic, but even when it bottomed out it still wasn't enough

this Second Gen Camaro tie rod measures 8 1/8 from the center of the zirc fitting to the end of the threads

[Gregski]

this in turn [pun intended] required further fandangling

I trimmed about that much off the outer tie rod end knowing I would be replacing it anyway, so this was a practice run

[Gregski]

well this is interesting, these are two brand new inner tie rods and two brand new tie rod ends I bought from NAPA today, don't they look completely different? I realize one is for the driver side and the other for the passenger side but come on man, these look like they are two different brands, I plan on taking them back in and asking for another set

and what do you mean you don't buy your Chevy parts by the bucket?